Without a senior on the roster and with the loss of a few key players,
Vanderbilt should take a step back from their recent NCAA success. However,
Coach Kevin Stallings has assembled plenty of talent that not only could make a
postseason run this year, but could be in store for bigger and better things in
the near future. Even if the Commodores are relatively unsuccessful during the
2008-2009 season, watching how the young players develop will help determine the
future success of the program.

Who’s Out:

Shan Foster was
the heart and soul of Vanderbilt. The wing averaged 20.3 points per game last
year and hit an incredible 3.9 three-pointers per game at a 46.9 percent clip.
The other great shooter on the team is also gone. Alex Gordon was not the scorer
that Foster was, but he averaged 10.8 points per game and added 3.1 assists. The
backcourt also loses Keegan Bell who opted to transfer. The news in the
frontcourt is not much better. Ross Neltner averaged 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds
during his senior season and Alan Metcalfe added 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per
contest.

Who’s In:

Brad Tinsley will
help replace some of the shooting that is departing. The 6-3 combo guard does
everything well and is expected to immediately play a vital role for the
Commodores. There are plenty of other options on the wings. Walk-on Jordan Smart
is a superb shooter. He might not make a huge impact right away, but Smart has
the ability to be a solid shooter off the bench in the years to come. Redshirt
freshman Charles Hinkle is a good defender who could find a role on the team,
but it is incoming freshmen Jeffery Taylor and Lance Goulbourne who can emerge
as superstars before their careers at Vanderbilt are through. Taylor is a great
athlete who, at 6-7, has plenty of size for a small forward. Once he develops a
more consistent outside shot, Taylor will be tough to stop on the offensive side
of the ball. Goulbourne can hit the outside shot, but the 6-7 forward will also
battle in the paint and hit the glass. The talent in this recruiting class does
not slip up front. Steve Tchiengang is a good athlete who can run with any power
forward in the SEC. The 6-8 Cameroon native will fit in well with the Vanderbilt
motion offense and could even step into a starting role at some point this
season. Redshirt freshman center Festus Ezeli will provide quality depth under
the basket. For now, much of his production will be on the defensive side of the
ball. With a huge wingspan, Ezeli could provide a big time shotblocking threat.

Who to Watch:

A.J. Ogilvy, a
6-11 center, did not fail to live up to expectations during his freshman
campaign. He averaged 17.0 points and led the team with 6.7 rebounds and 1.4
blocks. With Ogilvy under the basket, the Commodores have half of a great
inside-outside duo. Without Foster, they will have to find the outside part. But
Ogilvy is not the lone frontcourt player returning. Andre Walker and Darshawn
McClellan, both sophomores, did not see too much playing time last year, but the
possibility to make a larger impact is there for the duo if they can hold off
the newcomers.

Final Projection:

Jermaine Beal had a great sophomore season, but he will not take over the
scoring load. Beal, a 6-3 point guard, is a capable scorer, but not an explosive
one. Beal is the guy who will get the rest of the scorers involved. Beal
averaged 4.6 assists and just 1.5 turnovers per game last season and if he can
keep those numbers going, the scorers in the backcourt will come around
eventually. George Drake only averaged 2.1 points per game in 2007-2008, but he
will be in the mix along with the newcomers to develop into that much needed
perimeter scoring threat. If Vanderbilt can find a scorer, preferably a shooter,
to free up space under the basket for Ogilvy, this could be a surprisingly
dangerous team in the SEC. But it will take some time to replace Foster and
Gordon and it is never easy to navigate a young team through such a tough
conference.

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About Joel Welser

ColumnistCollege Preview Editor

Contactjwelser@collegehoops.net

Background

"Joel Welser does a tremendous job covering college basketball. He gives his readers knowledgeable and insightful information on college hoops." -Ernie Zeigler, Head Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University "Joel Welser writes clean, knowledgeable copy that always hits deadline." -Greg Eno, former editor-in-chief, Motor City Sports Magazine Growing up in Michigan, Joel Welser inherited a love for Big Ten sports. After defying all family traditions and not going to Michigan State, Joel headed out west to earn his bachelor degree from California State University, Northridge in Cinema Television Arts, specializing in screenwriting. For reasons still unknown, after his stint in Hollywood, Joel headed back to Michigan where he remains to this day complaining about the cold. Joel has found a successful formula with the popular top 144 series at collegehoops.net and has also written college football and college basketball previews and articles for various websites and magazines.